People seemed to enjoy "Speak No Evil" (Whisper's Tale), and I do like having something to write besides grinding away at a big novel project, so I thought I'd make a poll on which Wulfgard short story you guys would like to read next! I chose three major characters from the main storyline I'm writing (the one in my comics) for whom I feel the most inspired to write a compelling background story. Here they are:

"Against the Grain" - The Wanderer's Tale

A small Imperial farming village is struggling under the grip of an oppressive Count, who is stealing away the villagers' livelihoods to further his own plans for a rebellion against his Lord. The peasants are prepared to give up hope when a stranger wanders into town. He has no interest in helping them at first, but soon the Count's thugs begin change his mind...

"Potential Energy" - Lord Plutarch's Tale

A younger son of a blue-blooded Imperial Duke is struggling to better himself, but finds he can do little except live his life according to his lordly father's plans. Then, as he is preparing to leave for war, he discovers he has a special gift - a gift that changes everything. Without pause, he begins plotting a new, very different course for his life...

"Wake Not the Sleeping Bear" - Joergen's Tale

A young Northman has made a name for himself as an outlaw fighting skirmishes against the Achaean Empire. When his brotherhood of rebels disbands, he eagerly encourages his tribe to finally enter real, open war. But he finds true war much different than he expected, and after learning hard lessons about human nature, he realizes he can never return home the same man he was before.

They all sound great. I personally voted for the first one just because I like the simplicity of the idea but I think you should just write whichever story grabs you the most. Trying to force things doesn't always work out so well.

I voted for "Wake Not the Sleeping Bear," since the title really stood out and I enjoyed its concept the most. Honestly, I'd be happy to read any or all of them, but the themes of the exploration of human nature and the harsh reality of war sounded compelling.

"Against the Grain" is my second choice, for similar reasons...and because it reminds me of "The Magnificent Seven," with a little "A Fistful of Dollars" flair. Perhaps it'll be the Wulfgard version of Warbringer? Or something even greater?

Wow, those are some close results! I've started on a more detailed outline for Plutarch's story now, but there's still time for me to switch gears if anyone else wants to vote.

They all sound great. I personally voted for the first one just because I like the simplicity of the idea but I think you should just write whichever story grabs you the most. Trying to force things doesn't always work out so well.

Absolutely, which is why there are only three stories in the poll. I thought about listing a whole bunch of my Wulfgard characters (Daemonique, al-Saffah, Adrianya, Dagfari, etc.), but these are the ones I feel most inspired to write about. I've been itching to tell all three of these stories for a while now, so any of them works for me!

"Against the Grain" is my second choice, for similar reasons...and because it reminds me of "The Magnificent Seven," with a little "A Fistful of Dollars" flair. Perhaps it'll be the Wulfgard version of Warbringer? Or something even greater?

Yep, it's absolutely that kind of story. I was actually planning to write "Against the Grain" first - before the Whisper story - but I avoided it because I thought it might be seen as too cilché, even though I play around with archetypes in it quite a bit. The Wanderer could be seen as a mixture of Strider (LotR) and the Man with No Name, but he doesn't have the invincible combat prowess of either. He's an outlaw with no formal combat training, picking his fights carefully and then using any dirty trick it takes to win, or at least survive. And there's another major character in the story who turns an archetype on its head, but I'll leave that to be a surprise.

Plutarch's story is definitely the most "fantasy" of the three, since it's the only one that involves magic in any way, and it's also the most lore-heavy. Whether you see that as a positive or a negative is up to you! It's also different from the other two in that it's the story of a "villain" character, albeit a sympathetic one. I have an obsession with sympathetic evil genius villains who have lofty ideals but pursue them ruthlessly, and Plutarch is absolutely one of these.

Klaykid is probably right that Joergen's story is the most unusual for the genre. I could name a slew of characters that the Wanderer and Plutarch draw inspiration from, but far less for Joergen. "Joe" is a character I've wanted to introduce for aaaaages now, since he's one of my favorites, but thanks to the glacial pace at which I make comics, I haven't gotten to yet. He's a simple man in many ways, not as clever or philosophical as the other two, but with much stronger convictions, which get shaken in his story.

My choice would be "Wake Not the Sleeping Bear" since we haven't met Joergen yet, and the story's the most original (IMO). Human nature and the nature of war are always good topics, but not as often explored in Fantasy as I'd like. My next choice is "Potential Energy" which it sounds like you're starting anyway. Can't go wrong with a tale of ambition, magic, and devious plans! Whichever you choose, I'll be sure to read it.